1910 T3 Turkey Red #43 Out at Third - SGC EX/NM 80 (1/1, 1 higher!)

Inserted into the midst of the Turkey Red production run are a small number of generic action illustrations featuring players in the midst of game play. Due to the uniqueness of these cards, they have become increasingly popular among collectors. However, these cards are also extraordinarily condition-sensitive, perhaps due to their "pin-up" quality. Indeed, each of the action images are among the set's most exciting; it can easily be seen why a youngster would pin these images to his bedroom wall in 1910, imagining himself sliding in ahead of a throw.

This example, titled "Out at Third," features a bang-bang play at third base, executed amidst a haze of dust created by the slide. As is the case with many of the T3s featured in this auction, it is difficult to describe the quality of the image without falling into the kind of hyperbole we try to avoid in our descriptions. However, in the case of this card, the image is "practically three-dimensional," and the surface is "dripping with gloss" - indeed, after examining the T3s in this collection we will not look at Turkey Reds the same way ever again, as we now have a deeper understanding of how these cards were intended to look when they left the factory.

An action image from the T3 set in high grade is a thing of beauty that is rare in the hobby; just one example has been graded at this level by either grading company and just one more, a mere half-grade higher, has been graded. A true condition rarity.